There are quite a few projects across the world that are trying to turn the desert in to farming space both because the remaining planet is struggling to find new land for agriculture and the number of mouths the world needs to feed is growing at a blurring rate. This has forced engineers and designers to turn to deserts to try and eek out anything that is possible. One of the theoretically simple solutions has always been to desalinate the water from the oceans and to make use of the newly available fresh water. But it is one thing to write that day and a whole different ballgame in execution.

The Sahara Forest project would marry huge greenhouses with concentrated solar power (CSP), which uses mirrors to focus the sun’s rays and generate heat and electricity. The installations would try and turn deserts into lush patches of vegetation. The greenhouses work by using the solar farm to power seawater evaporators and then pump the damp, cool air through the greenhouse. This reduces the temperature by about 15C compared to that outside. At the other end of the greenhouse from the evaporators, the water vapor is condensed.

Some of this fresh water is used to water the crops, while the rest can be used for the essential task of cleaning the solar mirrors. The greenhouse produces more than five times the fresh water needed to water the plants inside so, in addition to producing water to clean the CSP mirrors, some of it can be released into the local environment and that would be a very sensible thing to do. I guess before thinking about if we can make Mars inhabitable or Venus human-friendly, I guess we must look at the vast stretches of land right here on earth that could use a facelift. Sahara Forest Project is a brave venture in that difficult direction and we wish nothing but the best for the ingenious men at the heart of it all.

Via Guardian

All over the world Brazil stands fourth in green house emanations just after China, U.S and Indonesia as deforestation rate is gradually increasing there. It holds around 60% of Amazon Rainforest area therefore it transpires to be principally accountable for conserving their surroundings. Recently, Brazil’s President has commenced an international fund to safeguard valuable Rainforest and it has been held firmly that nations giving their financial support would not be tolerated to probe concerning the conservation endeavors.

The management of finances collected from worldwide fund would be taken over by a Brazilian Government bank. Augmentation ventures like condom making from tree rubber and various other advanced scientific researches would also be shored up by these globally received funds. I hope this unwavering stride towards the greener world may positively pull off triumph in impending future.

Via AFP

Those who can afford a rooftop garden or a plush green lawn do that. What about those of us who put up in flats and only dream about having a mini garden for ourselves within our houses? For such folks, Dutch designer Daniel Schipper has created an affordable, foldable greenhouse to plants your own mini-greens in form of tiny flower varieties or may be even grass sprouts!

The mini-garden delight is lightweight, portable, eco-friendly (made out of recycled plastic) and has a foldable roof for easy storage. Its base is also recycled out of plastic composite. The no-fuss and minimalist appliance requires just 3 little steps: unfold, snap, and water. The greenhouse is carved for small spaces like balconies, roof terraces, town gardens or city houses.

A passout of The Design Academy Eidhoven, Schipper loves to churn out simple, easy-to-use and sustainable designs for products like shelters, chairs etc. A look at his portfolio will tell you how ’simplicity’ as a principle is at the core of the designer’s varied products. All his projects accentuate upon three aspects viz. functionality, fold-ability and like I mentioned earlier aswell, sustainability.

His latest greenhouse project has been well appreciated in Netherlands and he is now on the lookout for some like-minded fellow to help him put this nouveau creation of his in production.

Via DanielSchipper